Xavi, who has been vocal in his disdain of Mourinho in recent years, was critical of Real Madrid's season, which saw them finish 15 points behind Barca.

The Spain international hit out at Mourinho's attitude and the style of play he introduced at the Bernabeu - despite it paying dividends as Real lifted the 2011-12 La Liga title - claiming Los Blancos require a tactical overhaul if they are to return to their glory days.

"I don't want people to think that I'm always attacking Mourinho, that's not my intention, but obviously I don't like the way his teams play on the pitch," the 33-year-old told Sport. It annoyed me to see them play like that as they had an idea and a concept before. [Zinedine] Zidane, Roberto Carlos - they were incredible.

"They dominated every area of the pitch. You had to look at the facts and just admit they were better. It was the same with the Madrid side in the 'Quinta del Buitre' era, another amazing team with a clear and sound philosophy.

"A big club can't play like Mourinho's Madrid. We don't let the pitch dry up so it turns into a 'potato field', nor do we kick the other team 30,000 times or try to turn up the heat in a game. We didn't even do that when Madrid went above us.

"We've won, drawn and lost, but always according to a footballing philosophy. The result is an imposter; it goes beyond winning and losing."